Luxury $200 million hotel coming to Darwin

A new luxury hotel is set to be built in Darwin by the same Chinese company which courted controversy after being awarded a 99-year lease of the city's port.

The development consent authority has given the green light for Landbridge to start construction on the $200 million development.

Vice-President of the Landbridge Group, Mike Hughes, told 9NEWS it will be a significant project for Darwin.

The $200 million hotel will go up right across the road from the port. Picture: 9NEWS (9NEWS)Work on the luxury hotel will start in the next two months. Picture: 9NEWS (9NEWS)It's hoped the development will bring jobs to Darwin and give the economy a boost. Picture: 9NEWS (9NEWS)

"It will be up to 500 jobs in the construction phase and then somewhere around 150 jobs long term,” Mr Hughes said.

The project also compliments Landbridge's expansion plans of the cruise ship terminal which it controls under the lease – and is directly across the road from where the hotel is planned.

"It's one of the few ports around Australia where you can dock right in the CBD and Darwin is generally the first and last port for ships coming into Australia."

In 2015, Landbridge paid the Northern Territory government more than $500 million for an 80 percent share of a 99-year lease of Darwin's port, but the deal with came plenty of criticism.

Vice-President of the Landbridge Group, Mike Hughes, said that the hotel will bring 500 jobs to Darwin just in the development phase. Picture: 9NEWS (9NEWS)Landbridge Group was awarded a 99-year lease of the city's port in 2015. Picture: 9NEWS (9NEWS)

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It raised the attention of then-US President, Barack Obama, after the Australian Government failed to informed one of its closest allies about the acquisition, with President Obama telling Malcolm Turnbull to "keep them in the loop" next time.

Despite the Defence Department saying it didn't need to consult the US, it would have been the sensible thing to do, as Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison has tightened Australia's foreign investment rules.

Nevertheless, Mr Hughes says he hope's Landbridge's investment in the port speaks for itself, “in terms of what we've invested and in terms of what we've done in local investment, local jobs at the port."

"The performance of the port increasing this year and next year will begin to demonstrate the financial results that underpinned the acquisition of the port as a very sensible commercial investment."